Brown-backed parrotlet
Touit melanonotus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
The brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus) is a species in the family Psittacidae, order Psittaciformes. Recorded adults weigh about 66.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Quick facts about the brown-backed parrotlet
- Weight
- 66.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the brown-backed parrotlet live?
Not recorded
What is the brown-backed parrotlet?
The brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus) also known as the black-backed parrotlet, the black-eared parrotlet, and Wied's parrotlet, is a small (15 cm or 6 in) green parrot found in south-eastern Brazil from Bahia to southern São Paulo. It has a dark brown mantle and back, brown ear coverts, and red outer tail with back tips. They frequent humid forest from 500–1,000 m (1,600–3,300 ft) (occasionally down to sea level), and are mostly found in small flocks of 3–20 birds.
From the Wikipedia article “Brown-backed parrotlet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brown-backed_parrotlet&oldid=1314388272), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the brown-backed parrotlet endangered?
The brown-backed parrotlet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.
How is the brown-backed parrotlet classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittacidae
- genusTouit
- SpeciesTouit melanonotus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
Synonyms Psittacus melanonotus, Psittacus melanonotus, Touit melanonota, Touit melanonota melanonota, Touit melanonota melanonota, Touit melanonota melanonota, Urochroma wiedi
Other names and names in other languages (38)
- Black-eared parrotletEnglish
- Black-eared parrotletEnglish
- ببغاء بني الظهرArabic
- Cotorreta dorsibrunaCatalan
- cotorreta de dors bruCatalan
- papoušek hnědohřbetýCzech
- papoušík hnědohřbetýCzech
- Parotan clustdduWelsh
- Sortrygget StumppapegøjeDanish
- BraunrückenpapageiGerman
- brundorsa papagetoEsperanto
- Cotorrita dorsinegraSpanish
- pruunselg-väikepapagoiEstonian
- nokiselkäaranenFinnish
- Toui à dos noirFrench
- smeđoleđa papigicaCroatian
- barnahátú aprópapagájHungarian
- Pappagallino dorsobrunoItalian
- セグロイロオインコJapanese
- rudnugarė raibauodegė papūgaLithuanian
- Шим тупан ала пачан попугайWestern Mari
- BruinrugpapegaaiDutch
- brunryggparakittNorwegian
- barwniczka brunatnogrzbietaPolish
- کالا مگر طوطاWestern Panjabi
- apuim-de-costas-pretasPortuguese
- Apuim-de-cauda-vermelhaPortuguese
- periquito-de-dorso-castanhoPortuguese
- Буроспинный туетиRussian
- Черноспинный пестрохвостый попугайRussian
- tui hnedochrbtýSlovak
- amazoňan hnedochrbtýSlovak
- Smeđoleđi papagajSerbian
- brunryggig dvärgparakitSwedish
- Kahverengi Sırtlı PapağanTurkish
- папуга багійськийUkrainian
- 褐背鸚哥Chinese
- 褐背鹦哥Chinese
Relatives of the brown-backed parrotlet
Other species in the same genus Touit.

Lilac-tailed parrotlet
Touit batavicus

Scarlet-shouldered parrotlet
Touit huetii

Sapphire-rumped parrotlet
Touit purpuratus

Blue-fronted parrotlet
Touit dilectissimus

Golden-tailed parrotlet
Touit surdus

Spot-winged parrotlet
Touit stictopterus
CompareBrown-backed parrotlet vs Lilac-tailed parrotletBrown-backed parrotlet vs Scarlet-shouldered parrotletBrown-backed parrotlet vs Sapphire-rumped parrotletBrown-backed parrotlet vs Blue-fronted parrotlet
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the brown-backed parrotlet?
An adult brown-backed parrotlet weighs 66.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the brown-backed parrotlet endangered?
The brown-backed parrotlet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
What kind of animal is the brown-backed parrotlet?
The brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus) belongs to the family Psittacidae in the order Psittaciformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-backed-parrotlet
“Brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-backed-parrotlet.
@misc{brown_backed_parrotlet_2026,
title = {Brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/brown-backed-parrotlet},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}